Wagner heads into Brooklyn tonight for its Northeast Conference opener fighting a losing trend against reigning league champion Long Island University that encompasses five the last six meetings.

That’s not the only obstacle the Seahawks will need to overcome in the first home game of the season for coach Jim Ferry’s club: The Blackbirds are also coming off a 100-84 whipping at Iona on Monday night, a loss that’s bound to make Ferry’s club more than a little ornery.

“We’re in the process of reinventing ourselves,” said the 10th-year LIU head man. “We lost the No. 1 and No. 2 players from last year’s club in terms of all-time minutes played. So it is definitely different in approach.”

The two players Ferry lost from last year’s powerhouse club that finished the season 27-6 and lost to North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament are rugged wings Kyle Johnson (10.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and David Hicks (10.9 ppg).
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WAGNER AT A GLANCE

Ferry is hoping his Blackbirds perform well, but Wagner head Dan Hurley is certain they will.

“They are a veteran team with big men who could be playing at the next level,” Hurley said of 6-7 juniors Jamal Olasewere and Julian Boyd.

Last season, Wagner lost both meetings with LIU. In those games, the Seahawks were out-rebounded by an average of eight per game and attempted 12-plus fewer free-throws than the Blackbirds, who went 16-1 from mid-December until the tournament meeting with UNC.

But Wagner is a different club than last year, more experienced, less prone to mistakes, and, perhaps most importantly, with a deeper bench.

On their current four-game win-streak the Seahawks have averaged 80 points per game, are shooting 44.3 percent from three-point range, and are averaging four less turnovers per game than the opposition.

So Wagner seems considerably improved, and LIU is still searching for its new identity.

Does that translate into a Seahawk edge?

Hardly, according to Hurley.

“They are the best team in our league,” he declared. “We want to be where they have already gotten. This is just one game in December, but you can’t escape the fact it’s a conference game on the road against the champions.”

Wagner ranks 66th in Division I in scoring at a robust 76.3 ppg; the problem is the Seahawks rank a far less productive 298th among D-I teams in rebounding (31.8 rpg).

The Gaels are No. 1 in the nation in scoring (95.4 ppg), and No.2 in assists per game (22.6 apg).

Wagner hosts St. Francis, N.Y., at Spiro Center on Saturday. The Wagner-SFNY women’s game is at 4 p.m. The men’s game is at 7.

Wagner senior Tyler Murray ranks second in the just-released NCAA rankings with a NEC-best 64.0 percent (16 for 25) on 3-point shots. He is also shooting a solid 52.8 percent (28 for 53) from the floor and 81.3 percent (13 for 16) from the line. He ranks first in school history in career 3-point percentage (42.8 percent) (131-306).

Murray has also hit for double-figures in 26 straight games since last season and 41 times in 43 games dating back to his sophomore year.

The Toronto native has 929 career points and ranks second among all active NEC players with 240 assists and 10th with 304 rebounds. Additionally, Murray has 10 career 20-point games.